WOOF!

Sangamon County Animal Control officials have declared dangerous a pair of dogs owned by Sheryle Henry, a member of a county advisory board on animal control. The dogs in June attacked a small mixed-breed dog owned by Christine Groves while Groves was walking her pooch [See “Board member’s dogs attack,” by Bruce Rushton, July 31]. Henry, whose dogs have a history of being picked up by animal control after being found running loose, has blamed a relative who walked her dogs without permission. Under terms of the dangerous dog declaration, Henry must pay a $50 fine for each dog, which cannot be on public property without a muzzle and adult supervision. At least one member of the Sangamon County citizens advisory board on animal control says that Henry should resign or be removed from the board. “To me, this lady has no business (being on the board),” says board member Kay Morris, who volunteers at the animal control shelter. “She needs to learn to take care of her dogs.” Morris, a Democrat, said that she had to wait a year to be named on the board, which has seven Republicans and six Democrats, because there wasn’t an open seat for a Democrat. She said she was surprised to learn that party affiliation is a consideration for board membership. “That blows me away, because I didn’t know that animals were partisan,” Morris says. “Why do we have to be political?”